Aryna Sabalenka became the first player to secure a semi-final spot at the WTA Finals as she defeated a resilient Jasmine Paolini in straight sets.
Top seed Sabalenka won 6-3 7-5 in a victory that also confirmed Elena Rybakina’s elimination from the season-ending tournament in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Earlier on Monday, Kazakhstan’s Rybakina was beaten 7-6 (7-4) 3-6 6-1 by Olympic champion Zheng Qinwen for her second defeat at the Finals, and required a Paolini victory to keep her hopes alive.
But a gritty win over the Italian – which saw her save two set points – put Sabalenka one step closer to sealing a maiden WTA Finals title, as well as the year-end world number one ranking.
Should she defeat Rybakina in her final Purple Group match on Wednesday, the Belarusian will remain top of the standings into 2025, out of the reach of Iga Swiatek.
“I’m proud of myself. Not only myself, my team,” said Sabalenka, 26.
“We were able to overcome a lot of things. To be able to show such great tennis and become world number one. It’s teamwork, it’s not only me.
“Nobody sees the behind-the-scenes work. But they do a lot for me. I really appreciate them for everything they do for me. This is motivation for me to keep winning on this court.”
An early double break of serve saw Sabalenka – a two-time Grand Slam champion in 2024 – hit the ground running against Paolini, and while the 28-year-old fourth seed cancelled out one of those breaks, she could do little to challenge her big-hitting opponent.
The second set, however, told a different tale. Though Sabalenka reeled off four consecutive games after an early break for Paolini, she grew frustrated as the Italian – enjoying a breakthrough season on the WTA Tour – mounted a comeback to go 5-4 ahead.
But after saving two set points, a switch flicked for Sabalenka, immediately breaking Paolini’s serve once more before wrapping up the match at the first time of asking.
“The second set was quite tricky, I was just trying to stay aggressive, to show her that I am going to fight for this set no matter what,” Sabalenka added.
“I’m really happy to close this match in straight sets.”
The WTA Finals are being held in Saudi Arabia for the first time – a move which has been criticised by some because of the country’s human rights record.
This year’s tournament has record prize money, with the singles champion set to collect about £4m.
In the Orange Group, Jessica Pegula will face Barbora Krejcikova on Tuesday before defending champion Swiatek plays Coco Gauff.
Third time lucky for Zheng v Rybakina
Prior to defeat by Paolini on Saturday, the opening day of the WTA Finals, 25-year-old Rybakina had not played for two months due to a combination of illness and injury.
The former Wimbledon champion had looked fatigued during that match but started stronger against Zheng, though it was the Chinese player who sealed the first break of serve on her way to taking a 4-1 lead.
From there, Zheng’s unforced error count started to creep upwards and while Rybakina was able to fight back into the set by winning three successive games, a long return from the Kazakh in the tie-break wrapped up the opening set for Zheng.
Little could separate the pair at the start of the second set but finding herself 3-2 and a break down, Rybakina found a much-needed higher gear.
After getting the immediate break back, she saved two further break points from 15-40 down, reeling off three aces in the game before landing a backhand on the Zheng baseline.
That was the second of four successive game wins to seal the second set, but Rybakina became unstuck again in the decider.
As her opponent grew weary, Zheng capitalised with a break for 3-1 from which she never looked back, wrapping up her maiden Finals win on her first match point. Victory also marked her first over Rybakina in three attempts.
“I’m really happy to win this match,” said Zheng, 22. “I’ve never beaten her before and she’s one of the greatest players right now.”
Zheng will face Paolini in the last round of group-stage matches on Wednesday, with the winner set to join Sabalenka in the semi-finals.
